The Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology

The Bartle Test classifies players of multiplayer online games (including MUDs and MMORPGs) into categories based on Bartle's taxonomy of player types. Each player type (Socialiser, Explorer, Achiever and Killer) is defined by the gaming elements which they find most enjoyable.

You can also take the test in German and in French!

Are you more comfortable, as a player in an online game:
Which do you enjoy more in quests?
Which would you rather be noticed for in an online game?
Which do you enjoy more in an online game?
Which would you rather have, as a player in an online game?
Which would you enjoy more as an online game player?
What's more important in an online game to you?
What's more important to you?
You're a player in an online game, and you want to fight a really tough dragon. How would you approach this problem?
You're a player in an online game, and about to go into an unknown dungeon. You have your choice of one more person for your party. Do you bring:
Would you rather
Which is more exciting?
Which would you enjoy more?
What's worse:
Would you rather:
In an online game, a new area opens up. Which do you look forward to more?
In an online game, would you rather be known as:
Would you rather:
Would you rather:
Which would you rather do:
In an online game, would rather be known for
Would you rather win:
If you're alone in an area, do you think:
You learn that another player is planning your demise. Do you:
You meet a new player. Do you think of them as:
In an online game, would you rather:
In an online game, would you be more prone to brag about:
Would you rather have:
Would you rather receive as a quest reward:
When playing a video game, is it more fun to:

Background & Acknowledgements

The Bartle Test is based on the player types identified by the legendary Richard Bartle in his paper, Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs. It is strongly recommended that you read this paper if you wish to find out more about your player type, and what it all means. Bartle revisits and expands upon these ideas in his book, Designing Virtual Worlds, which is also recommended if you wish to delve a little deeper.

The original Bartle Test was created by Erwin S. Andreasen and Brandon Downey and this implementation is based on the question data which Andreasen has made available at http://www.andreasen.org/bartle/.

The impetus behind creating this version was the demise of the version hosted at GamerDNA, which I previously used when teaching.

Games research: